The company says it's essentially a reconfiguration of parts used in its other products, but Blue Microphones' newly released Mo-Fi headphones, with their analog amps and custom 50-mm drivers, are the meticulous realization of the microphone manufacturer's engineering and execution.
Announced back at CES 2014, the Mo-Fi headphones have finally fallen into the hands of reviewers and on the ears of those eager to rate Blue Microphones' first plunge into the market for high-end headphones. The company is known for its vocal and instrumental microphones and recording tools.
The Mo-Fi headphones, weighing just over a pound, shun the digital processing units employed by many of its contemporaries and offer audio purists audio served up from analog audiophile amps. The Mo-Fi headphones include three driver presets: passive, active (On) and enhanced bass (On+).
The Mo-Fi headphones' active amplification may be bit too sensitive or powerful, leading one reviewer to caution wearers to dial down the volume of the source audio before switching the headsets to active or enhanced bass mode. For audiophiles unhappy with their current headset's top- or low-end output, the Mo-Fis passive mode is said to deliver natural, undecorated sound that's the best representation of the source audio.
"The headphones are not nearly as loud in passive mode, which hardly matters -- in On and On+, the headphones get so incredibly loud, you could do serious damage to your ears if you aren't careful about your sound source volume levels when you switch over," the reviewer states. "Aside from not being as loud, the highs are less bright and the bass less pumped in passive mode -- and the Mo-Fi's drivers in this mode sound a bit less glossy, a bit more accurate to me."
Audio pumped out of the headphones' 50-mm drivers is protected on its way down ear canals by sealed, noise-isolating ear cups. Their headbands were said to be inspired by headsets used by race car drivers and another reviewer says the Mo-Fi headphones can be worn for hours without the wearer suffering from sore, flattened ears.
"I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it is absolutely true," states the reviewer. "I suspect it's related to the swaddling effect, but the way Mo-Fi grips my head is comforting. I have worn these for up to 4 hours in a stretch, and I've never felt any fatigue or discomfort from doing so, and that is really saying something."
While Blue Microphones doesn't have the range of headphones to match Sennheiser or Apple's newly acquired Beats series, the Mo-Fi headphones take aim at audio purists and musicians who have the capital to look beyond the price tag and into the hardware. The headphones MSRP is $350.
